How Schumacher and Todt transformed Ferrari

From the ashes of disaster rose an unstoppable winning force - but what had Ferrari lost in the transformation? Asks DAMIEN SMITH

Boom and bust: that was Ferrari's way. From the peaks, the view was breathtaking. Ascari, Fangio, Hawthorn, Hill, Surtees, Lauda, Scheckter... these were the blessed members of Formula 1's most exclusive club, all having filled their lungs with the heady, rarefied air as Ferrari world champions.

Yet, almost to a man, the oxygen turned sour on the inevitable plummeting descent. Backstabbing turmoil, bitter disappointment and, yes, even death seemed to follow the apparent anointment of Italian immortality. This was the nature of life at Maranello, and it only made the Scuderia all the more alluring.